We were asked the other day why a car dealer who lied to a customer should have to do anything more than merely take back the car and refund their money. Seems some car dealers and their attorneys think that's enough. Paying "more" means paying what the law calls "punitive damages" and there's a reason for them. I think it was my dad or older brother who first explained to me, years ago, why punitive damages are a necessary part of our society and legal system. It's because of Chuck. Let me explain.

Young Chuck moved to Texas and bought a donkey from a farmer for $100.00. The farmer agreed to deliver the donkey the next day.

The next day he drove up and said, "Sorry son, but I have some bad news, the donkey died." Chuck replied, "Well, then, just give me my money back." The farmer said, "Can't do that. I went and spent it already." Chuck said, "Ok, then, just bring me the dead donkey."

The farmer asked, "What ya gonna do with him?" Chuck said, "I'm going to raffle him off." The farmer said, "You can't raffle off a dead donkey!" Chuck said, "Sure I can. Watch me. I just won't tell anybody he's dead."

A month later, the farmer met up with Chuck and asked, "What happened with that dead donkey?" Chuck said, "I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at two dollars apiece and made a profit of $898.00." The farmer said, "Didn't anyone complain?" Chuck said, "Just the guy who won. So I gave him his two dollars back." Chuck grew up and works for a car dealer now.

Punitive damages are necessary to punish those few business people who knowingly do something that's just plain wrong and is so bad that they need to be taught a lesson and made an example of. 499 people paid Chuck two dollars and never knew they were ripped off. When the one who found out complained, why Chuck just paid them off by refunding their two dollars.

Meanwhile, by lieing to everyone (okay, technically he just hid the truth) Chuck made $898 profit off the scheme.

That's why just making a con artist refund your money is not enough. You have to stop the scheme and as long as they make money off the scheme itself, simply making them refund your money won't be enough to make them stop what they are doing. You have to go deeper into their pocket because people like that only understand one thing: money. After all, if they understood right and wrong, they wouldn't be selling raffle tickets for dead donkeys.

Same thing is true of a thieving car dealer who you catch ripping you off. The average car dealer fights hard to keep from taking back a bad car. Why? Because there's an old saying in the business that goes like this "Once it goes over the curb, we don't take it back."

Nowadays, the smart car dealer will argue but then eventually give up and take it back. They argue hard at first to try to avoid taking back the defective car (that's probably a visceral reaction ingrained in the breed, frankly). But if you argue long enough, the smart car dealer will take the car back just to stop your complaining. After all, they know that they can just pawn off the dead donkey on some other guy or gal, who probably won't argue as long or as loud as you do.

And they get away with it. In fact, they make money off it.

Many courts have explained that punitive damages are intended "to discourage others from committing similar wrongful acts." They don't reward the victim for being a victim. They punish someone for being a thief. Why? Because punishment works.

Otherwise, they'll just keep selling raffle tickets for dead donkeys.

If you've bought a dead donkey from a rip off car dealer, we can help. Click here to email us right now, or call us, 1-888-331-6422 Toll Free. Helping consumers get their money back is what we do. Everyday since 1978. Oh yeah, lots of car dealers know who we are and what we do, and that doesn't bother us one bit.

Gallup has finished its latest survey poll of the perceived honesty and ethical standards of professions and, surprise, surprise, car salespeople are back at the very bottom of the list again.

The survey was completed last money and rated almost two dozen professions on a five pooint honesty and ethics scale. And at the top? Nurses.



The Honesty Poll

Gallup started this "honesty poll" almost 40 years ago and car salespeople have always been at the bottom.

Last year, though, members of Congress tied with them at the bottom of the list, as being among the most dishonest. This year they managed to climb one notch out of the pit, leaving car dealers behind all by themselves.

Car Dealers at bottom of "Honest and Ethical" Gallup Survey

While lawyers have always taken a beating too, this year they sit on the scale at about one third the way up the list, just behind state governors. But not all lawyers are thought of in a lowly way.

At a recent consumer rights conference, one lawyer stepped into an elevator with a vacationing family and when they saw his nametag ("NACA") they asked what the group was and when he told them it was the National Association of Consumer Advocates, the daughter said "Oh, you're one of the good guys."

NACA members do more good for consumers than any other professional group, advocating the protection of consumer rights before state and federal officials and regulators every day. And appearing in Courts all across the country, standing up for consumers who have been victimized by predatory mortgage lenders and dishonest merchants.

Not all car dealers are dishonest and not all lawyers are either. And NACA members are always on your side.

Where car dealers make their money is not where you think it is ... it's not on the car itself - not by a long shot. Any profit there is pure gravy. The real profit at a car dealership is in the "dealer profit tax" they push on to the deal.

This is the optional "tax" the customer often doesn't even realize is going on - and often doesn't know what the numbers are for either. And the kind of customer who gets charged the most is often a younger consumer who the dealer gets all excited about their new purchase and then smokes them on the sales paperwork (you can see what "smoke" means in our online car dealer dictionary by clicking here).

Here's a good example we just reviewed for a new client who was ripped off and didn't even know it.

A used Chevy Malibu. Price on the paperwork said just over $15,000. The young lady who signed the sales paperwork made a number of mistakes that maybe you can learn from too.

First, she went shopping without her dad or any friend at all. Mistake #1. Car buying can be emotional and if you are all alone, it's easy for an aggressive sales person to pressure you into something you may not be so sure about. Having a friend go with you can help you avoid a pressured decision.

That friend can also be a witness to anything that is said and, believe us, if you are by yourself the salesperson can say anything they want and it's just your word against their's. Promises are nice, but they don't amount to a hill of beans later on when you realize it wasn't written down and no one heard it but you and the salesperson denies ever saying it. They win. You lose. That's mistake #2.

And that 27.9% optional tax? Well, in this case, the lady signed the sales paperwork without realizing the dealer's salesperson had packed into her deal window etching "theft guard" for an extra $100 (it's a waste of your money in our opinion, but you can buy it online for about fifteen or twenty bucks). Then there's the worthless "colander" extended warranty (that's one that won't hold water because it's got so many holes in it that the warranty company doesn't have to do anything they don't want to do for you) from some out of state outfit that requires her to come back to the dealer for future repairs (where they can sell her more when she returns) for $1,300 (oh yeah, and it only covers the car for a year). Mistake #3.

Then there's the GAP "insurance" they packed into here deal that really isn't insurance at all - it usually pays about $2,500 if your car is stolen and your insurance doesn't pay off the whole loan and it cost her $700 (another rip off, given the amount they are charging, the amount paid off, and the infrequency of cars stolen compared to cars being sold). Tack on the dealer's "key care" program, the "dent repair" plan, the credit life insurance, the credit disability insurance, and - for good measure - something new ... "personal assistant" services for an extra $90. Pile them all up and you've got mistake #4.

By the time she was done, or rather by the time they were done with her, that $15,000 car had an "out the door" cost of just under $20,000. Oh yeah, and her interest rate on the loan was 18% (a big chunk of which the lender gave back to the dealer as a kickback for setting it up that way - they call it "dealer reserve").

Before you ever go to a car dealer's lot, if you are going to need financing then go to your bank or credit union and get your financing set up so you know how much you have to spend - and then, whatever you do, don't let the dealer set up the loan for you. They'll promise you they can get you better terms, etc, but it is commonly just a shill game designed to get their hand deeper into your pocket.

You can learn more tips by reading this free legal guide "How to Buy a Used Car and Not Get Ripped Off" by clicking here so you don't waste your money.

Want to save yourself $300? Of course. There's an easy way to do it. Just stay away from car dealers.

There's a lot of sexism at some car dealerships.

Sometimes the best way to see what the industry is like is to read what they have to say about each other when one of them gets caught doing what's wrong. Most car dealers run their dealership right, but every once in awhile you come across one that just seems like a Boys Club. That might be the story here.

The New York Daily News and the New York Post are reporting that a 21 year old former dealership employee has filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against the 84 year old owner of a Long Island, NY Dodge dealership, claiming the owner is just a dirty old man. John Vigorito, 84, allegedly asked her for sex on a recording made by the 21-year-old woman, who asked to be identified only as Desiree.

At another point, Vigorito, who owns Security Dodge in Amityville, allegedly said, "What do I have to do, rape you?"

Pretty stupid, John, pretty stupid. But what beats that is the comments posted by other car dealers to the news report on DealersEdge.com, a car dealer news service where readers (mostly other car dealers) can post their comments. So what did other car dealers say?

"84 and still a horn dog. Hey, he can always claim sinelity."

"Sounds like a set up to me"

"Ohhh and i'm so sure there was no inapropriate behavior or flirting with the 84 year old who is currently single. Probably can not find a job because she has no skills. Remembers an old man looked at her once and says...LETS SUE"

So who is the most stupid? The 84 year old with the groping hands or the Boys Club guys who think it's all a joke? That's a close call.

And you wonder why the service department advisor tells the young woman customer that it's all in her head (that's a true story) or why the salesman takes advantage of the single mother and talks her into more soft add-on's than she'll ever need in life?

If you've been ripped off by a car dealer, email us now or call us 1-888-331-6422 Toll Free. We know how to handle car dealers who aren't fair or honest with their customers. We sue them. Everyday.

A frustrated Volvo owner has been vindicated. Yes, Virginia, in America you do still have the right to say what you think. Heck, you can even sell bumper stickers that say it (available for $3.99 each).

In 2000, Seth Turok bought an Audi from Elk Mountain Motors in Aspen, Colorado. He became frustrated with the car's lemon tendencies and the dealer's inability to get it fixed. Feeling "enough is enough" he started posting signs that read "Friends don't let friends shop at Elk Mtn. Motors." That got their attention.

The service department, however, apparently didn't pay any more attention
to Mr. Turok, but the car dealer's management did. They hired lawyers and sued, asking the court to make him take the signs down, claiming that the signs implied the car dealership was dishonest or engaged in fraudulent sales tactics. That's not the way the court saw it.

In 2006 the trial judge ruled in favor of the consumer, calling it protected free speech under the First Amendment. No, No, cried the car dealer, so they appealed. Well, Yes, Yes, said the court of appeals.

The 3 judge panel on the court of appeals ruled in favor of the consumer also. "Read in context, the use of the language indicates that [Turok] was merely demonstrating his dissatisfaction and frustration" said the court.

It cost this consumer tens of thousands of dollars to defend himself (he may recoup a small amount of the cost from the sale of his bumper stickers that can be purchased by clicking here), but in the end he was vindicated and proven right. Americans have a long history of saying what they think and being allowed to do it. It's what the First Amendment is all about.

A short time back, when we learned that Hyundai was now sticking binding arbitration clauses in its warranty booklets, in an attempt to keep its customers from being able to sue them over lemon Hyundai cars and warranty fights (by the way, that tactic probably won't hold up). We wrote about that here and thought at the time about putting up a billboard that said "Friends don't let friends buy Hyundai" but, being lawyers, decided it would look too self-promoting. Maybe we should sell the bumper stickers instead?

If you've got a lemon, don't put up with it. And don't put up with a car dealer who doesn't care either. Bumper stickers and signs are a clever way to start out. But when you want the Truth to come out, when you want Justice to prevail, get even the American way: complain and complain and complain. You have a right to express your opinion, but be careful not to libel or slander anyone. How you say what it is you are saying, can make all the difference.

And if complaining doesn't work, call us. We sue car dealers and manufacturers every day over lemon cars and lemon trucks and fraudulent car dealer sales practices. It's what we do.

Contact us (click here) or call us 1-888-331-6422 Toll Free.

A motor vehicle salesperson recently explained to me that there are 11 steps that dealers use to get the most money out of you that they can get in a deal. I call it 11 Steps Dealers Use to Rip You Off. Here are Steps 9 thru 11, along with some comments and tips to help you avoid wasting your money!

Step 1: Dealer Prep
Step 2: Sales Meetings at Dealership
Step 3: Meet and Greet the Customer
Step 4: Stealing the Trade-in During the Appraisal
Step 5: Qualify the Customer
Step 6: Land the Customer on a Car
Step 7: Work the Deal and the Customer (puts the customer in ether)
Step 8: The Turnover

Step 9: F&I Smokes the Paperwork
Just when you think you’ve got a deal, maybe even a good one, they turn you over to the one who really puts the screws to you: the "F & I manager," sometimes called a "Business Manager."
This person’s job is to take the deal you think you’ve got and make it even better ... for them, of course. They do this by "packing" (adding the cost into your deal without you realizing it) credit life insurance, disability insurance, service contract charges, "Gap" insurance, rustproofing, and other "soft" add-on’s (extra cost things that don’t add any value to the vehicle itself) into the deal. They know that if they do the job really good, you will never even know it’s happened to you until you get home and hours (or better yet, days or weeks) later, if you happen to look more closely at what you signed and find thousands of dollars of additional charges for things you didn’t realize were being added into the deal.
Why do they do it? Because a slick car dealer can make the highest profit margin not on the car, but in the F&I office.
As an example, the Credit Life insurance that has a premium charge of $800 probably has at least $400 pure profit to the dealer. The rustproofing, paint protection and fabric protection package that shows a cost of $895 probably only cost the dealer about $150 to $250 max --- and that assumes that it’s even on the car (have you ever really figured out if that fabric protection was anything more than a spray can of stuff they sprayed on the interior?).
Statistics show that the most money a car dealer makes, on any part of the deal in selling a car, is made in the F&I office. That’s why this person has a computer (which they can blame any "mistakes" on if you catch them), a warm and fuzzy picture of the spouse and kids, and a degree of some sort in a frame on the wall: it looks good, makes you feel comfortable with their professionalism, and gets you to relax (after all, an enema is more thorough if the patient is relaxed when he gets it put to him). If there is any room in a car dealership that you really need to be careful in, and watch your step, it’s here.
Tip: Don’t let the car dealer set up your financing at all. Go to your credit union where you often will get the lowest finance rate around. Not a member? Join one. Call all of them in your local phone book or check online and find one you can join. It costs practically nothing and can save you thousands of dollars in high interest charges.
If you are going to let the dealer set up your financing, don’t buy any of the extra stuff they will try to sell you ... no matter how good they make it sound! You can get cheaper disability or life insurance from any insurance agent.
And that $1,500 extended warranty? First of all, if you must get one, never buy an extended warranty that isn’t actually from a vehicle manufacturer ... they cost too much, you get too little coverage, out of town dealers and repair shops often won’t honor it, and there is often no one who is really going to stand behind it. Those kind of extended warranties are sometimes called "P O Box warranties" because they operate out of a post office box with nothing behind it.
The dealer’s F&I office? Simple. It’s where you can expect to get ripped off the worst.

Step 10: Deliver the Iron
This is the fastest part of the process, because it is where the customer goes over the curb (hopefully before the customer finds out what has just been done to them) and there’s an old saying in the business: once it goes over the curb, it ain’t comin’ back!
The entire process is designed to put you behind the wheel and get you out the door. "Emotional ownership" they call it. That means you become emotionally "invested" in the car. Your friends and family and neighbors see you driving the new car. You start to brag about what a great deal you got and how they were so nice to you down at the car lot. Then it all comes back with a vengence when the hit you with the next step.
Tip: Never, never, never take a vehicle home unless everything that you want the dealer to do has been done. When they tell you that you need to make an appointment after the sale for the service department to install the special wheels or the upgraded stereo system or whatever, don’t buy it! If they want to sell it to you bad enough, they’ll find the time to get it done right away. You shouldn’t have to return to get things done to a vehicle that the dealer agreed to do as part of the sale. Make sure everything is done and done right before you take the keys and drive home.

Step 11: De-Horsing the Customer (The "Gimmee Back" Trick)
Just when you get comfortable, driving that new car, showing it off to your friends and coworkers and family, the dealer calls you up and tells you that there’s a slight problem: your loan didn’t go thru (never mind the fact that before you left the lot they told you your credit was already approved).
Now they tell you that the bank wants you to put more money down, or the bank has changed its interest rates, or they had to get your loan thru another bank and they need you to come down and sign another finance contract. The excuse can be almost anything ("the fax machine ate my copy of your contract" is a good one), but it often is just completely made up.
It’s called de-horsing you (like you take a "cowboy" off his horse, just as he settles into the saddle). They know you’ll balk and then do almost anything to keep from looking bad to your friends, family and neighbors (after all, are you really going to tell them that your credit wasn’t good enough to get the loan?). It can all be a scam designed to get more money out of you by doing things like increasing the interest rate on you (which is really set by the dealer in most cases, and not by the bank at all), or making you pay more money down, or rewriting the loan and packing something new in the deal ("the bank says they’ll approve the loan but only if you get an extended warranty to protect you in case the car breaks down when it is beyond the manufacturer’s warranty").
Tip: The point is, if they call you up after the deal is done, be careful. They could just be trying to get more money out of you and into their own pocket. Demand to know what banks are involved and who they talked to; call the banks and ask yourself; if it really is legit and you have to resign the finance contract, compare the new terms with the old terms (interest rate, loan length, monthly payment, total amount financed, total of payments --- all the numbers in the "federal box") and make sure that nothing, but nothing is changed. If it is, refuse to sign it and call us right away toll free 1.888.331.6422 or email us! Chances are you may not have to give your new vehicle back at all, no matter what the dealer is telling you.
And don’t go down to the dealership with that new car that you thought you already owned, park it in your garage and take a cab! You won’t be the first one that they blocked in so you couldn’t get the car out when you refuse to resign their papers! When you show up without the car, you’ll have the leverage instead of the dealer.

Remember: be careful when you go shopping for a motor vehicle. If you think you’ve been ripped off, lied to or cheated, or if you bought a lemon car or lemon truck or lemon motorcycle, call us toll free 1.888.331.6422 or email us for fast help. We know how to fight dealers and manufacturers ... we’ve been doing it since 1978.

A motor vehicle salesperson recently explained to me that there are 11 steps that dealers use to get the most money out of you that they can get in a deal. I call it 11 Steps Dealers Use to Rip You Off. We posted the first four steps and now it's time for the next four ... along with some comments and tips to help you avoid wasting your money!

Step 1: Dealer Prep
Step 2: Sales Meetings at Dealership
Step 3: Meet and Greet the Customer
Step 4: Stealing the Trade-in During the Appraisal

Step 5: Qualify the Customer
This is where the salesman tries to figure out what is the most amount of money he can get out of you, by selling you as much car as your credit will qualify for. It’s may have nothing to do with what you want or what you need, but everything to do with who makes salesman of the month.
Tip: Watch out if they ask for your driver’s license while you take the test drive; if your social security number is on your license, they can run a credit check on you while you’re out on the test drive and by the time you return they will know exactly how much credit you’ve got and what the bank will probably approve. Armed with that, they then can decide what car and what price they will sell you on.
You should negotiate the price of the car first. Then negotiate your loan length and monthly payment amount. Don’t let them run a credit check on you until you’ve got those basic terms worked out. And never give a car dealer your social security number until you are ready to let them set up the financing for you.

Step 6: Land the Customer on a Car
The worst thing an inexperienced car salesman can do is let the customer roam the lot, and they know it. They don’t want you to compare one car to another because, what with dozens or hundreds to choose from, you could spend the whole day and never decide. They don’t make a commission by just showing you a car. They only get paid when they sell you one, and that doesn’t happen until they "land" you on a specific piece of iron (a vehicle).
That’s why they will ask you qualifying questions to figure out things like color, size, number of doors, performance aspects, stereo system, and much more. Once they land you on a specific car, the real sales job begins --- on you!
Tip: Know what you want before you go to the dealer’s lot. Know what the average selling price is likely to be by checking online and looking in newspaper ads. Find out what rebates are going on by checking online.
Does the salesperson seem to be pushing a specific car or model, whether you really want it or not? Most likely that’s because there’s a secret dealer-only incentive, sort of a "dealer rebate" that the manufacturer pays the dealer to get the dealer to help unload a car line or model that is a poor seller. On the lot the dealer sometimes pays the salesperson a bonus for "moving slow iron", and in the business it's called a spiff. Check it out carefully.

Step 7: Work the Deal and the Customer (puts the customer in ether)
Now it really gets interesting. Now the salesman starts on you. First they’ll take the payment approach to selling you. That means they’ll avoid the price and keep the sales conversation focused on how much monthly payment you can afford.
It used to be people bought cars based on price, but then we all started living on budgets and car dealers quickly learned that fact. Then they learned that if they could get you to stretch your budget "just a little more", then they could pump up the price and that meant more profit for them.
Expect the salesman to start with a monthly payment that is two or three times what you told him you could afford. They don’t expect it, but figure the shock will get you used to the idea of having to pay more than you thought you would when you walked onto the lot (never mind reality). They usually figure that as your monthly payment goes up, the loan length goes down, but watch out for the guy who does it both ways.
Part of all of this is "the ether." "Putting the customer in the ether" means getting the customer excited (or distracted) so they do not realize what is happening to them in the deal. That’s when the real profit can be made.
Tip: The first step to buying a car is making your budget. Know how much monthly payment you can really afford before you ever go car shopping. And then, aim to spend at least 10% less than your budgeted amount. That way you still have some "room" left over. Never go above the number ... no matter what. The more you stick to you number, the better off you will be! Don’t buy more of a vehicle than you can afford. If you do, the next time you go shopping you can be sure you’ll hear the salesperson say you’ve got negative equity (whether you really do or not).
And when you make your deal, before you sign the contract, make sure that everything (absolutely everything) has been written down on the contract. Remember: oral promises aren’t worth the paper they are written on.
Also before you sign the contract, make sure there’s nothing in it about "arbitration" or a "jury waiver" either. If you see anything like that, just take that ink pen and scratch it out on every single copy! An honest car dealer is not afraid of a jury made up of ordinary people. So if you see an arbitration clause or jury waiver in the contract, you know what kind of car dealer you are dealing with ... don’t sign the contract at all! You don’t have to give up your legal rights just to buy a motor vehicle.

Step 8: The Turnover
If the buyer becomes too difficult for the salesman to handle or deal with, the salesman knows he is supposed to "T.O." the customer (turn him over) to a more aggressive sales person or manager, sometimes called "the closer", whose job is to brow beat the customer into signing the paperwork and closing the deal on the best (highest) terms he can get for the store (the dealership).
A closer is well trained in the art of deceptive psychology. He knows how to play the customer, all the angles to work, and how to "homer" the customer on the deal. Closers have their own "style" of dealing with people. Some of them seem to be perfect gentlemen, while others have been known to pound on their desks or even scream at the customer or even get right in your face to intimidate you.
Tip: Remember: it’s all a game to them. It’s a challenge. If they start to play games with you, just get up and leave. You don’t have to do business with crazy people, liars, or thieves. That's not what you usually find a most car dealerships, but when you do ... just get up and leave.

Steps 9 thru 11 Coming Soon!

For now, if you've been ripped off by a car dealer, or if you've got a lemon, email or call us 1-888-331-6422 Toll Free. Getting rid of lemons and getting your money back, that's what we do. Every day.

A motor vehicle salesperson recently explained to me that there are 11 steps that dealers use to get the most money out of you that they can get in a deal. I call it 11 Steps Dealers Use to Rip You Off. Here are Steps 1 thru 4, along with some comments and tips to help you avoid wasting your money!

Step 1: Dealer Prep
For new cars, it means doing what the factory requires but watch out they don’t try to charge you for "dealer prep" because the factory actually pays them for it anyway. Charging you too gives them double the money!
For used cars, it could mean anything from putting sawdust in the transmission to "clocking" the odometer (altering it to reflect a more desirable lower number that makes the vehicle worth more), or a lot more.
Tip: For used cars, ask to take the car to get an inspection done by an independent mechanic. If they won't let you, there's probably a reason so be careful. For new cars, watch out for all the extra charges the dealer will try to tack on to the deal...they are all negotiable!

Step 2: Sales Meetings at Dealership
This is usually a morning pep rally where management pumps up the sales staff, tells them what iron (a vehicle) has the spiff’s (cash bonus to the salesman who sells it first), and other promo’s.

Step 3: Meet and Greet the Customer
"Lot lizards" (salespersons) are generally required to pounce on the customer the minute he steps foot on the lot but, of course, by using businesslike polite language and introductions.
Tip: Make no mistake about it. Their only goal is to sell you a vehicle for the most they can get out of you. Salespersons are paid on commission ... the higher the price they get you to pay, the more money they make.

Step 4: Stealing the Trade-in During the Appraisal
You may not realize that the salesperson usually tells you that your trade-in vehicle is worth less than it really is and a lot less than you think it is. They may even tell you that it’s got what they call "negative equity".
That’s a term car dealers invented when they had to come up with some way of explaining why your car wasn’t worth what you owed on it when you wanted to trade it in, but they didn’t think there was enough profit in it for them to take it off your hands. "Upside down" or "in the bucket" are similar terms.

These terms can be used to play games with the buyer in order to literally steal the trade-in vehicle, by taking it in for trade but taking the payoff amount and tacking it onto the price of the car that the customer is buying.
Tip: Defend yourself by knowing for sure what your trade-in is worth and finding out what your loan payoff really is. Don’t take the dealer’s word for it. Know before you go. Check trade-in values online. Look in newspapers to see what dealers are selling your kind of trade-in vehicle for. The more you know, the better prepared you are to keep from getting ripped off. And above all, be careful thru each step of the process.

Remember: the dealer's objective is to get the money out of your pocket and into their's. Your objective is to keep as much of your money as you can!

Steps 5 thru 11 will be posted soon!

For now, if you've been ripped off by a car dealer, or if you've got a lemon, email or call us 1-888-331-6422 Toll Free. Getting rid of lemons and getting your money back, that's what we do. Every day.